7 games for the A-10 on Wednesday and a couple of big matchups. Duquesne opens as a 15.5 point underdog as they take on Pitt in the City Game at 7 pm on ESPN3. Butler takes on IUPUI as 19 point favorites at 7. Charlotte faces it's biggest test of the season so far going on the road to face Davidson at 8 pm. Saint Louis is a 13 point favorite at home taking on North Texas at 8 pm. La Salle is a 10 point favorite at home as they face Penn St at 9 pm on NBC Sports Network. Temple is only favored by 2 as they take on Big 5 rival Villanova on ESPN2 at 9 pm. Finally Dayton is a 9.5 point underdog against Alabama who they beat handily last year in Dayton at 9 pm on ESPN3.

Dayton obviously needs to play much better against Alabama. I don't think a win is out of the question (although the line is certainly +9.5 for a valid reason). Tuscaloosa is not exactly the world's most hostile environment for basketball.

On the other hand, it looks like Temple is going to be my Lock of the Day pick unless there is a non-A10 with a more compelling line, which doesn't seem likely.

Charlotte is 6-5 all time at Davidson, series is 27-11 all time in our favor. Would be a big win for the Niners, we'll need our guards to rebound well on their long shots to help prevent 2nd opportunities. This will be a physical game, should be a fun one to watch.

First Temple game since the season opener that I'm legitimately excited about. We're going to learn a lot about our Owls against Nova.

We seem to be in a early season tournament or facing a few good opponents early every season so this season has been very odd. Been hard to really get excited but the next two games are finally going to ratchet it up. It's been hard to talk about Temple because I don't think many know what exactly we have right now, I really will be interested to see how they perform this week.

We seem to be in a early season tournament or facing a few good opponents early every season so this season has been very odd. Been hard to really get excited but the next two games are finally going to ratchet it up. It's been hard to talk about Temple because I don't think many know what exactly we have right now, I really will be interested to see how they perform this week.

Worst level of early scheduling of compitition that I can remember in the Chaney/Dunphy era.

More BCS scalps on the line in winnable games for LaSalle, Dayton, and Temple. Let's do it!

__________________Xavier always goes to the NCAA tournament, and almost always makes some noise while there. Projecting anything less than that this season feels like folly.
Eamonn Brennan, ESPN (Summer Shootaround, 2012)

This is a nice test for Dayton. Alabama has terrific guards, but overall an undersized and young roster. I'm not sure you could pick a better place to play a road game vs a tough opponent. People may show up, but half of them will be working on the script for their next Finebaum call.

Hopefully we see a Dayton team that matches the intensity of the home team, and plays loose. If that happens, they can win.

__________________
Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

I'll be very impressed if Dayton hangs tough, but I've had a bad feeling about this game since the first time I looked at the sked. Dilliard has to play great and Vee, too. It won't matter, though, if all the young guys get a little anxious in their first true road test.

Alabama did give a very good Cincinnati team all it could handle here in Cincy, so I agree it will be a tough one for the Flyers to win. However I look for the Flyers to "shock the world", and beat a very inconcsistent Alabama team on their floor.

__________________Xavier always goes to the NCAA tournament, and almost always makes some noise while there. Projecting anything less than that this season feels like folly.
Eamonn Brennan, ESPN (Summer Shootaround, 2012)